Directed by Julien Duvivier • 1930 • France
Starring Dita Parlo, Ginette Maddie, Andrée Brabant

The final silent film directed by Julien Duvivier, this dazzling adaptation of a novel by Émile Zola harnesses the full expressive potential of the form to create a visual symphony of exquisite camera work, inventive editing, and lavish mise-en-scène. Dita Parlo (L’ATALANTE, GRAND ILLUSION) stars as a young woman from the country who goes to Paris hoping to work in her uncle’s tailor shop. A glittering modern department store that opens across the street threatens the family business, setting up a clash between old-world values and rapid capitalist modernization.